Car-coupling.



J. A BEAMER. GAR COUPLING. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16. 1009.

Patented Feb. 21, I911.

avweufoz type in which there are provided o1.)posite;ly-

UNITED STATES rn rnntr onrront AMES A. BEAMER, 0F TYRONE, PENNSYLVANIA.

ARACOUPLING.

Specification bf Letters Patent.

Patented Feb, 21, 1911.

Application filed June '16, 1909. Serial No. 502,460.

To all whom it may concern:'

Be it known that 1, JAMES A. Bnannn, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Tyrone, in the county of Blair-and State of l ennsylvania,have invented a new and Improved Cur-Coupler, of which the following isa full, clear, and exact description.

In car couplers of the Master Car-Builders to another as the trainrounds a curve, and

a movement due to the difference in the swaying of the cars. The' entireforce required to draw a car and all of the cars in the rear thereof, istransmitted through the coupler, and the two adjacent facesof theknuckles are pressed into contact with each other with enormous force.The relative movement of one coupler in respect to the other tends togrind these facesover each other, so as to wear out the knuckle inacomparatively short vtime. In order to avoid this wearing by thegrinding action of theknuckles, I contemplate lubricating the workingfaces of the coupler, and the ob]ect of my inventionis to so constructthe coupler v parts which support the coupler. A further advantage inthe lubrication of the couplers, will be to permit cars to more easilygo around curves, and thus avoid wear on the flange of carwheels andupon the rail.

Reference is to be had to the accompanyin drawings, fo'rmin a part ofthis specification, in which sin arr characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures, and in Which- Figure 1 is a topplan view of two interlocked couplers constructed in accordance with myinvention; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through a portion oftheknuckle, said section being taken; on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3; and Fig.3.is an edge view of the knuckle, a portion thereof being broken away onthe line 33 of Fig. 2. I

'As far as the main features of the coupl' c are concerned, I do not;contemplate departing in any way from the ordinary coupler now in use,and inasmuch as my invention does not relate to the main features of thecoupler, it is evident that these features 'may be varied widely withoutdeparting from thespirit of my invention.

I have illustrated two couplers of the Master Car-Builders type substanially in locked or operative position, and each havinga kniickle 10, aknuckle pin 11, and a draw-bar or shank 12. The draw-bar or shank isprovided with a guard arm 13, extending outwardly and disposed oppositeto the free end of the knuckle when the latter is in closed position.Each knuckle has a supporting portion 1-l,'th'rough which the knuckle in11 extends, said supporting portion pre erably extending between twologs or extensions 15 of the shanks, and' through which the knuckle pinalso extends. All of these features are commpn to most couplers andfurther descriptionof tl1l1;(li:lil$ is thought to be unnecessary.

The-knuckle when in its locked position extends transversely of thegeneral direction of the coupler and has two substartially paralleltransversely-extending faces to and 17 the former of which "is oppositeto the end face '18 of the shank, and the latter of which comes adjacentto or in contact with the face 18 of the'other coupler. The faces 16 ofthe two locked knuckles are the two which are under greatest pressureand sustain the load in the pulling of the train. As the traingoesaround a curve, these faces rub over each other to a slight extent.As the one car sways laterally, there is a corresponding, althoughslight, rubbing action be faces. The rear or back end or face 19 of theknuckle, that is, the faceopposite to the free end of the knuckle andadjacent the knuckle pin, lies closely adjacent the guard arm 13 of theopposite coupler. The strain bet-ween these two faces is not as great asthat be tween the opposite faces 16, 16, yet at the same time thesefaces are continuously contacted with each other during the coupling anduncoupling of the cars, and theyare also being continuously rubbed overeach other when the car is traveling or frequently changing its speed;The third point at which wear occurs chiefly on the coupler, is on andabout the kritiekle pin. All move-.

'ments of the knuckle in coupling and uncoupling the-ca'rs creates afriction, or rubbing onflthe pin ,=l and all of the strain in pullingthcar -is transmitted from the knuckle to the knuckle pin.

T In order to provide for the constant and a itomatic lubrication of allof these working faces, I provide each knuckle with a chamber,compartment or recess 20, in the upper portion thereof and extendinglengthwise of the knuckle, that is, transversely of the coupler. Thischamber does not extend down into thenknuckle a sufiicient distancetomaterially Weaken'the latter, but only sufficient to constitute an oilchamber ,.into which cotton waste or other absorbent may. be packed andsaturated with oil. Extend ing from this lubricant chamber I providethree passages leading, to the three points which it-is desired tolubricate. ()ne of these passages, 21, extends from the lubricantchamber 20 through the wall to the latter.

face 16 of the coupler. The opening termi which flows through thispassage. comes in.

contact with the upper surface ofthe support ing portion 14 and theunder surface of the lug. or projection 15 of the shank. The lubricanthere works its way to the knuckle pin to effectively lubricate thelatter. Thus, by providing a single chamber and locating it in theknuckle in the par-.

ticularplace illustrated and above described, I secure the lubricationof all of the working surfaces of the coupler with only a singlelubricant chamber and with the passages of the shortest possible length.It will be noticed that the passages or channels 21 and 23 extend to thesurfaces they are to lubricats from a reservoir within the knuckle; andthe channels 21', extend iii-meeting knuckles, when'the parts arecoupled as shown in Fig. 1, in reverse directions; that is to say, thechannel 21 of one knuckle, see Fig. 1, will extend to the right and thechannel 21 of the coupled knuckle will extend to the left from. itsrespective-reservoir so that if the coupled draw heads be moving inoperation in one direction or the other there is always onechannel21extending from its reservoir rearwardly, with respect to the directionof motion, to the contacting surfaces between the two knuckles]: This isimportant as thereby the movement'ofthe draw heads in either directionwill "effect a positive feed of lubricant from the forward one of theknuckles to the inner meeting or contacting faces of the two knuckles.,This result, as before suggested, is important and followstheproduction of the reservoir in theknuckles and the provision ofchannels leading from said reservoirsto the contacting faces of theknuckles as before described.

It is evident that this chamber may be in creased or decreased in sizeor v'ari'edin shape, without departing from the spirit of my invention,ora greater or lesser number 0f passages might be employed, but Ipreferably construct the lubrieatingfeatures of the couplersubstantially as above set'forth.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

' 'A' car coupler comprising two similar draw heads and pivotedknuckles, the latter having each a lubricant chamber and pro-- videdadjacent tothe' upper end thereof with lateral passages extending fromtheir 'respective chambers to the pivotal bearing surfaces'between thecorresponding knuckles and draw heads,and alsohaving passagesleading'from their respective chambers to .the inner meeting faces ofthe knuckles "whereby the movements ofthe knuckles will effect a,feetlof oil to'the contacting surfaces and the movements of the draw heads ineither direction will effect a feed of oil from the forward knuckle tothe inner meeting faces of the knuckles. 1

- In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification inthe presence-of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES AQBEAMER.

Witnesses D. T. CALnwnnL, A. R. BARR.

